Wrath of the Gods
by Aphrael1742
Summary: On the run from the Forerunners, the Covenant enters Citadel Space. It's not as epic as it sounds.


What happens when a race commits a crime against the Gods? We have just found out. I think I will start recording the days now. I've always found it too troublesome, time consuming, but I don't know that I – that any of us – have all that many days left, anyway. We're evacuating even now, gathering the remnants of our fleets and jumping to a point outside the galaxy. Is that possible? I don't know; I don't really care.

They called themselves the Forerunners. They judged us with that name. It seems no one truly understand the significance of that. But I do.

* * *

We've made the jump, evading the Forerunners for now.

I thought it would be a good idea, to keep a record like this. I'm not too sure now. Sangheili warriors do not keep records like these, insignificant accounts. If a warrior's name is to be recorded, it should be in a recounting of a glorious deed, a battle, perhaps.

Our culture, traditions, civilizations. What's left of them are here, in this fleet. And now I'm not even keeping them.

* * *

For every member of the Covenant there are three different stories to why the Gods have decided to turn on us. They argue, debate, wondering. Constantly wondering.

_Did our worship not please them? Were they defending the Humans? Are they mad because the Parasite almost got loose?_

It doesn't really matter, though. Not anymore.

I remember how I felt when one of the Gods appeared to us. I did not see him, of course, but I heard the news. We all did. And we all knew that our war was a righteous one. After all, what else could it mean, when the Gods themselves showed up?

There is a system within our sights. A galaxy. Everyone is restless, though. What if it is the same galaxy, and the Gods are toying with us?

* * *

The Unggoy are busy making repairs to the ships, but they are not fast enough. I've never fully appreciated the speed at which the Huragnok worked. Now I do. But they are all gone, left when the Gods started shooting.

It's strange, but the races all seem to be civil to each other now. The Jiralhanae and Sangheili are even working together, helping the Unggoy make repairs, no less.

Maybe the Gods are just trying to teach us to cooperate?

* * *

We have been traveling in small jumps, after the one that put us out of our own galaxy. Now we are again going to make one big jump.

We are hoping it is a different galaxy. Our fleet is ready, whatever happens.

I am not.

If the Gods judge me, I want to know what it was I did wrong.

I was talking to two of the Honor Guards. The God demanded to see the San 'Shyuum, they said. He appeared outraged. They talked for a long while. Then he addressed the Honor Guards, "your leaders have led you astray. The mantle is not yours to take. Stop this war against the Reclaimers." Not one of the Guards knew what he was talking about. But they should have obeyed him. He was their god.

Yet when Truth ordered them to attack the Forerunner, they did so anyway.

Idiots.

* * *

In hindsight, when the Gods suddenly reappear in a hundred kilometer long ship, something terribly bad was going to happen.

It is strange, though. There was already unrest between the Jiralhanae and Sangheili, barely contained dislike, open fighting, even. The Gods could have just waited, and our two races would have gladly gone to war.

Perhaps even the Gods felt the need to personally punish us.

Just how exactly have we offended them?

* * *

We just came out of Slipspace a while ago. This is not the same galaxy, thank the Gods.

It feels strange thanking them, when we are running from them. Everything is strange now, I guess.

Anyway, there are other races in this galaxy. Their technology is strange. They do not use Slipspace, for one. They met us with a hundred ships. Even the largest of the ships were not too big, but there were enough of them to make things nervous for a while.

There are humans with them, but they are different from the ones we were fighting.

In any case, we met with them, and they seemed to relax after we told them why we were there, that we weren't going to fight them.

I bet it must have felt weird saying that to a Human.

At any rate, they offered to defend us.

For all the good that would do.

* * *

Communications between us have been getting easier. There have been a war in this galaxy too, five years ago. But the races pulled through, and now they are almost back to normal.

Apparently, someone called Shepard, who now controls their enemy, would come to our aid, too. There was something about them, almost like overconfidence, as if, because they have beaten their greatest enemy, they could do anything.

It's slight comfort, but it's still good to know.

* * *

The God has found us.

And now he's sent a message to the galaxy's races - hand us over to be punished for our crimes.

I know what would happen if they don't.

And I still don't know why we are being punished.

We could jump again, but every one of us know it is pointless. Now that the Gods know that we know that we can go to another galaxy, we cannot run anymore.

They have not turned us over. Maybe they do not believe the god who spoke the words.

We made that mistake too.

The fleets of the other races arrived a few minutes ago, hundreds of thousands strong. Then Shepard's ships appeared, and they opened fire. The other fleets joined in.

We tried that.

Ships are getting torn apart faster than I've ever seen before. They are not going to last even a day. A few more minutes of this, and they would try hiding, maybe regroup.

We tried that, too.

And to think I used to dream about dying in some glorious battlefield.


End file.
